COVID-19

People with a genetic makeup that causes them to be more susceptible to COVID-19 are nearly five times as likely to develop neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) associated with antibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4), a study finds. Evidence for a cause and effect, or causal, link between COVID-19 and NMOSD…

The rate of disease onset or relapse of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) after a SARS-CoV-2 infection — the virus that causes COVID-19 — is extremely low, at about 1 in 50 million, according to a worldwide review study. The occurrence of NMOSD was even lower, at 1 in…

The CoronaVac vaccine, which contains inactivated SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, led to a severe case of late-onset neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in a 70-year-old woman. The unique case was described in an article, “Fulminant neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) following COVID-19 vaccination: A…

Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may trigger neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a case report suggests. The report, “Antibody‐Positive Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder After Second COVID‐19 Vaccination: a Case Report,” was published in the journal SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine. Recommended…

For nearly two and a half years, I avoided catching the COVID-19 virus. When I finally ventured away from my home, I was infected. Weeks later, I’m still feeling the effects. My daughter, Sophie, was recently given an opportunity to represent Canada at a global dance competition in Portugal.

I’ve been so exhausted before that I’ve said, “No one will know if I leave the kitchen looking like this.” Dirty dishes will be piled up in the sink, while clean dishes are still in the dishwasher. A sticky substance might appear on the counter, but thankfully the black marble…

At one point in my life, I thought I wanted to be a flight attendant. As a first-generation Canadian, my parents, who immigrated here in 1968, told me stories of foreign countries and the people, the unique food, and the different languages. For most of my childhood, I grew up…

I have a theory: I’m convinced you can scream (almost) anything at a baseball game. The more obscure the cheer, the greater it is. “You call that peanut butter?!” “Turn ’em upside down!” “Let’s go, captain! Take ’em out to sea!” (This one is way more fun when said in…

March 25 was a day I won’t soon forget. My 13-year-old daughter, Bella, and I jetted off to Boston to attend The Sumaira Foundation’s 5th Annual NMO Awareness Gala at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel the following day. The trip took a few years of planning and preparation, including surviving…

People say that dogs are man’s best friend. In our family, Roxy, our 3-year-old Australian ridgeback rescue, is my 13-year-old daughter Bella’s best friend. Bella has always loved animals, which thankfully runs in the family. When she was hospitalized in 2017 due to a major neuromyelitis optica attack, she…